Hinged Chair

ABSTRACT

A chair, couch or bench with a backrest that is pivotally attached by hinge to the seat. When folded down, the backrest covets itself, the seat and the armrests.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to folding outdoor chairs. Morespecifically, this invention relates to methods of keeping outdoorchairs clean.

Description of the Prior Art

There are currently only three methods for keeping outdoor chairs clean.They can be covered with a special cover or basic tarp. They can befolded and stored in a clean, dry place. Lastly, they can be storedoutside and be cleaned before every use.

Many people will spend the money to buy expensive covers for theiroutdoor chairs especially if they have spent a lot of money on thechairs themselves. However, there is little market for covers designedfor plastic outdoor chairs because the cover could possibly cost as muchor more than the chair. Covers and tarps are also a hassle to fold andstore.

Chairs are often made collapsible so as to make them easy to place intostorage in a clean, dry place. One of dozens of such patents is U.S.Pat. No. 10,064,491. Storage requires pulling items from often crampedand crowded indoor spaces which can be a hassle. People also may notwant to sacrifice premium indoor storage space for something that isdesigned to be used outdoors.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,539 is an example of a backrest that folds down tocover the seat, however it is designed for purposes related to fishingon a boat and is unrelated to maintenance. It is also the case that theaverage toilet has a cover that folds down over the seat, however thepurpose of this type of cover is also unrelated to maintenance.

Many cleansers specialize in the cleaning of outdoor furniture includingplastic chairs. This is time consuming and expensive and can only keepoutdoor chairs clean if they are regularly maintained.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel approach to the maintenance ofoutdoor seating. The object of the present invention is to use one ormore hinges on a backrest and potentially the armrests of outdoorseating to cover the backrest, seat and armrests ultimately protectingthem from debris and moisture found in outdoor settings. The advantagesof the present invention are that by folding the backrest down, theseating can be easily covered and kept clean without the need topurchase a relatively expensive cover. Also, there are no hassles withfolding covers, storage issues and frequent cleanings. While the presentinvention may certainly be used on more expensive furniture, thepreferred embodiment is that of an inexpensive plastic chair. This isdue to the fact that people who buy plastic furniture are typicallytrying to save money and are therefore less likely to purchase arelatively expensive cover.

The chair may also have a spring mounted recessed seat cushion thatrecesses into the lower compartment of the chair for outdoor storagekeeping the chair clean and dry until use. Another option is to have aspring mounted recessed backrest cushion that recesses into the backrestwhen in the closed position. The spring mounted recessed backrestcushion can then pop out when the backrest is raised to the openposition. The advantage of this option is that no locking mechanism isrequired to prevent the cushion from recessing when in use as is thecase with the recessing seat. The spring mounted recessing backrest actsas added cushioning for the occupant.

The spring mounted recessing seat or backrest cushions may be mounted onfour or more tracks that glide up and down the inside of the lowercompartment or the inside recesses of the backrest. The tracks may havelocking hinges to prevent the downward recession of the seat or backrestwhile an occupant is sitting. The locking hinges are automaticallyreleased when the backrest is folded forward and down to the lowercompartment ultimately recessing the seat or backrest and closing theseat. A latch to prevent the spring mounted seat or backrest frompopping up is employed to keep the seat closed when not in use.

The backrests of the chairs are ideally designed to extend or protrudeover the edge of the seat and armrests to ensure complete protectionfrom the debris and moisture found in outdoor settings.

There may be a gasket around the edges of the seat and/or backrest tofurther protect the seat from the elements.

The backrests and seats may be made of any material including flexible,moisture resistant fabric.

The seat may have ventilation holes to aid in the drying of the seat,backrest and armrests if moisture builds up as the result of dew.

The backrests may be designed to prevent the collection of water byshaping them to also provide lumbar support for the back and acomfortable form fitting mold for the buttocks.

The backrest hinges of the chair may be designed to allow for recliningto a plurality of positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of embodiment 1 of the chair in the openand closed positions.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of embodiment 2 of the chair in the openposition.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of embodiment 2 of the chair in the closedposition.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of embodiment 1 of the hinge in the openand closed positions.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of embodiment 2 of the hinge in the openand closed positions.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of embodiment 3 of the chair in the openand closed positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are chairs 10, 12 and18.

FIG. 1 shows the chair 10 in both the open and closed positions. Thebackrest 20 is pivotally attached by a simple hinge 24 to the seat 22.This allows the backrest 20 to be folded down and cover the seat 22 andprotect it from debris and moisture found in outdoor environments. Thebackrest 20 is shown to be larger and therefore overhang the seat 22 toallow for better coverage. A gasket may be used to further protect thechair from debris and moisture. The backrest 20 may be made of anymaterial including flexible, moisture resistant fabric.

FIG. 2 shows the chair 12 in the open position. The backrest 20 ispivotally attached by rack and pinion locking hinges 14 or deadboltlocking hinges 16 to the lower compartment 26. One or more springs 24are mounted to the bottom of the seat 22 or back of the backrest 20which causes the seat 22 or backrest 20 to automatically rise tooperational level when the backrest 20 is opened. The seat 22 orbackrest 20 is stored in the lower compartment 26 or the recesses of thebackrest 20 when the chair 12 is not in use.

FIG. 3 shows the chair 12 in the closed position. The backrest 20 ispivotally attached by rack and pinion locking hinges 14 or deadboltlocking hinges 16 to the lower compartment 26. One or more springs 28are mounted to the bottom of the seat 22 or back of the backrest 20which are depressed by the backrest 20 depressing the seat 22 and arelocked closed with the latch 30. When the latch 30 is not locked, thebackrest 20 rises slightly due to the depressed springs 28 which placethe chair 12 in a position ready to be opened and used. In the case of arecessing backrest 20, no locking mechanism is required to prevent thebackrest cushion 20 from recessing when an occupant is leaning againstit. When the chair 12 is in the closed position, debris and moisture areprevented from entering keeping the chair 12 clean, dry and ready foruse. A gasket may be utilized to further seal the backrest to the lowercompartment to improve protection from the debris and moisture found inoutdoor environments.

FIG. 4 shows the rack and pinion locking hinge 14 in the locked andunlocked positions. Connection point 32 is attached to the backrest 20and is also the outer hinge cover. The inner hinge cover 34 is rigidlyattached to the back of the lower compartment 26. Connection point 50 isattached to the seat 22. Attached to the axle 36 is the rack 38 andpinion 40. The rack 38, when activated by raising the backrest 20 andturning the pinion 40, slides into the rail track hole 46 and the railhole 48 ultimately locking the seat 22 and preventing it from recessingdown into the lower compartment 26. The four or more rail tracks 42 arerigidly attached to the inside of the lower compartment 26. The rail 44is attached to the seat 22 by the seat connection 50 within the railtrack 42.

FIG. 5 shows a deadbolt locking hinge 16 in the locked and unlockedpositions. The backrest 20 is pivotally attached to the axle 36. Theseat 22 is attached to the connection point 50. The deadbolt 52 isattached to the axle 36 within the hinge cover 54. The deadbolt 52 slipsinto the rail track hole 46 and the rail hole 48 when the chair 12 is inthe open position ultimately locking the seat 22 in place preventing theseat 22 from recessing into the lower compartment 26.

FIG. 6 shows a hinged chair 18 with armrests and supports 56 and 60. Thechair 18 has simple hinges 24 attached to the backrest 20. The armrests56 and 60 are pivotally attached to the backrest 20 and the seat 22.When the chair 18 is in the closed position, the backrest 20 overlapsand covers the seat 22, the armrests 56 and 60 and the backrest 20 alsocovers itself ultimately keeping the chair clean, dry and ready for use.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A chair (10, 12 or 18) with a backrest (20)that is pivotally attached by hinge to a seat (22) such that when thechair (10) is in the closed position the backrest (20) overlaps andcovers the seat (22) with a weather resistant seal.
 2. A chair (12) asin claim 1, further comprising a cushioned, spring mounted, recessingseat (22) or backrest (20) which rise out of the lower compartment (26)or the recesses of the backrest (20) to the ready position when thebackrest (20) is completely opened.
 3. A chair (18) as in claim 1 or 2,further comprising armrests (56 and 60) that are pivotally attached tothe backrest (20) and the seat (22) such that when the chair (18) is inthe closed position the armrests (56 and 60) fold along with thebackrest (20) and cover the backrest (20), armrests (56 and 60) and theseat (22) with a weather resistant seal.
 4. A chair (10 or 18) as inclaim 1 or 3, further comprising ventilation holes extending downwardthrough the seat (22) to aid in drying precipitation.
 5. A chair (10, 12or 18) as in claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a sloped backrest (20)such that when the chair (10, 12 or 18) is in the closed positionmoisture is unable to collect on the back of the backrest (20).
 6. Achair (10, 12 or 18) as in claim 5, further comprising a shape thatprovides lumbar support for the back and form fitting support for thebuttocks in the seat (22).
 7. A chair (10, 12 or 18) as in claim 1, 2 or3, further comprising a hinge that allows for a plurality of recliningangles.
 8. A chair (10, 12 or 18) as in claim 1, 2 or 3, furthercomprising a seat (22) or backrest (20) made of flexible, weatherresistant fabric.
 9. A chair (10, 12 or 18) as in claim 1, 2 or 3,further comprising a gasket to seal the backrest (20) and the seat (22)together when closed.
 10. A chair (12) as in claim 2, further comprisinga rack and pinion locking hinge (14) that locks the seat (22) orbackrest (20) in place preventing it from recessing downward into thelower compartment (26) or recesses of the backrest (20) while in use.11. A chair (12) as in claim 2, further comprising a deadbolt lockinghinge (16) that locks the seat (22) or backrest (20) in place preventingit from recessing downward into the lower compartment (26) or recessesof the backrest (20) while in use.
 12. A chair (12) as in claim 2,further comprising four or more rails (42 and 44) rigidly attached tothe inside walls of the lower compartment (26) or inside recesses of thebackrest (20) such that the attached seat (22) or backrest (20) caneasily glide up and down ultimately facilitating the opening and closingof the chair (12).
 13. A chair (12) as in claim 2, further comprising alatch (30) that is attached to the backrest (20) and the lowercompartment (26) which prevents the spring loaded seat (22) or backrests(20) from popping up when it is meant to be in the closed position.